It Happened One Day
by HavingSaidThat
Summary: Story revolves around Lincoln after he has been exonerated. SONA hasn't happened Rating M for strong language and sexual content as the story progresses.
1. Chapter 1 Beginnings

"So Allison, tell me a little about yourself." Ed said as he briefly scanned her resume'.

"Well there's not much to tell. I'm self-motivated and quick to learn. I love a challenge and I'm excellent at multi-tasking...Ok…...wait a second...this is so not me. Ed, I'm gonna' cut the crap here. I really don't think I need to feed you all of the self-motivated bull. So I'm going to level with you……I need a job, I have three kids, all girls…ages 11, 5 and 3. My husband Brian died about a year ago just 7 weeks after learning he had a malignant melanoma. He had a small life insurance policy that is close to running out. I'm close to my parents, but I would prefer not to have to live with them or borrow money from them. I'm honest, I don't steal or use drugs…..ummm, that's pretty much it." Allison said.

"Do you have ANY experience waitressing…at all….ANYWHERE?" Ed asked as he looked at her previous job history.

Allison let out a deep breath. "No….but what I said about being a quick learner is true….that part wasn't crap." Allison said.

"My restaurant is frequented by some of Hollywood's biggest names Allison. I pride myself on my reputation for excellent food AND excellent service. I am strict about my employees not asking for autographs and they are only to discuss what is on the menu or what the special of the day is." Ed said.

"I can do that Ed….give me a shot….I really need this." Allison said, practically pleading.

Allison couldn't believe she was begging for a job. Just over a year ago she had the fairytale life. She had a great husband, three gorgeous children and was getting her pre-requisites out of the way for nursing school. They lived in a middle-class neighbourhood and she drove a mini-van. She certainly didn't see this coming.

"Allison, I'm going to give you 30 days and THAT'S IT. If at the end of 30 days you're not cut out for this. I'm going to have to let you go…..understood?" Ed said.

Allison stood up and ran to the other side of Ed's desk and threw her arms around his neck and kissed his chubby cheek. "You won't be sorry….I promise Ed……ummm, when do you want me to start…and what do I wear?" Allison asked.

"I need you to start on Sunday. See Rachel on the way out and she'll take you to the uniform room to get you a few things to take with you. You have to wear your hair up and we require everyone to have professional manicures. Hands are the first thing someone will notice when you're serving food. I'll pay for your first manicure, but after that…it's up to you." Ed said as he stood from his desk.

"We'll see you on Sunday." Ed Said.

Allison turned to leave. Before she shut the door behind her she said, "Thanks again Ed. This means a lot to me……and my kids."

Allison found Rachel in the restaurant.

"Well?" Rachel asked.

"I got the job!" Ally said.

She through her arms around Rachel and picked her up and swung her around.

"I can't believe it….Rach….thank you so much. " Allison said as she put Rachel down.

"Someone's gotta' look out for you….I've gotten pretty good at it, since I've been doing it for how long now?...Junior year I think?" Rachel said.

"Ed said you'd get me some uniforms…...is everyone's shirt as low as yours?" Allison asked.

Rachel laughed. "Yes and some are lower Al……Come on let's get you some clothes." Rachel said.

Rachel brought Allison to a large room with racks on every wall. There was a rack for Shirts, pants, skirts, etc…Ally found her sizes and picked out the most modest she could find. Which still wasn't very modest.

"Rach…are you working Sunday? That's when I start." Allison asked.

"Yea…looks like I'm training you hon." Rachel replied.

Allison hugged Rachel again. "I'll see you Sunday….thanks again. I need to get home and tell the girls." Rachel said as she left.


	2. Chapter 2 Special of the Day

Looks like I forgot the disclaimer in Chapter 1.

Just wanted to tell everyone, because I'm sure someone out there was thinking that maybe I owned Fox, Prison Break or the amazing actors. Sadly this is not the case.

I do however own the fantasies that run around in my head that are associated with Prison Break and the amazing actors.

A Tip

"Come on Ally, you gotta' pick up the pace!" Ed yelled.

It was Allison's second week waiting tables at the trendy restaurant, "Ellie's" in Hollywood. Unlike most of the girls that worked at the restaurant, she NEEDED the money.

She had already waited on several of Hollywood's hottest actors, which she found exciting but since there were strict rules about asking for autographs or actually "talking" to anybody, she couldn't really say she had "met" any of them.

"I know, I know" Allison answered Ed.

"Ally…seriously….table 10 has been waiting for over 15 minutes, get out there!" Ed yelled again.

Ally went over to the table. She recognized her guest, but couldn't quite come up with a name. His hair was dark and shaved closely to his head. His eyes were a brilliant blue.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Are you ready to order?" Allison said apologetically.

"No problem" the gentlemen said smiling.

"Can you tell me what the special is today?" He asked.

"Oh shit…I mean…..ummm, oh darn…. the special thingy….hang on, I didn't even check…I'm sorry….let me find out for you, I'll be right back if you don't mind waiting a second." Allison said stumbling over her words.

"I'll just have a Caesar salad." He said.

"Are you sure? Really it's no problem. I can go check for you." Allison answered.

"I don't think I've seen you here before? Are you new?" He asked

"Is it _that_ obvious?" Allison said laughing.

"A little" He answered as he returned the laugh.

"Two weeks….I've been here two weeks…….Can I get you something to drink?" Allison asked.

"Water is fine." He said.

"Ok, I'll be right back." Allison said as she walked into the kitchen.

She put her ticket up in the window and went to get the water.

"OH……MY……….GOD!!! Do you have ANY idea who you are waiting on?" Rachel asked.

"No…looks familiar, but I don't remember who it is." Allison answered.

"You are kidding me……..that is LINCOLN……FREAKING……BURROWS!!!" Rachel squealed.

"Ohhhh Goodie….WOOO HOOOOO……who the hell is that?" Allison said.

"Oh Geeez, girl….you have got to change the channel from cartoons to the news…..He's the one that almost got the electric chair for killing Caroline Reynold's on Rach...….his brother broke him out of prison???...Anyway, since he was exonerated, he's written a couple of books about his ordeal…..AND rumour has it….he got a lucrative settlement from the Government." Rachel rambled. She couldn't believe Allison had no idea who he was.

"Girl, I wish I had time to watch the news…..but I don't…..he's cute and everything, but...oh nevermind." Allison said.

"Order up Ally." The chef said from the window.

"Thanks." Allison said. She picked up her order, placed it on the serving tray and took it to the table.

"Here you go...and I'm really sorry about the wait. Can I get anything else for you?" Allison asked Lincoln.

"Ummm, yea….water?" He said smiling at Allison.

"Oh God…water…..right…..be right back" Allison said. She ran to the back, grabbed a bottle of Evian and a frosted glass with ice and hurried back to the table.

"I'm sorry Mr. Burrows" Allison said as she poured his water into the glass.

"Ahhh, you figured out who I was." He said.

"Well, one of the girls said…….never mind...look I'm really sorry about the wait. If you need anything else, let me know." She said as she walked away.

"Soooo, did you get to talk to him? What did he say? Did you give him your number?" Rachel asked.

"Are you kidding me Rach? Ed was very specific when he said, "Do not talk…." Rachel interrupted Allison and finished her sentence..."about anything but what's on the menu…or the special of the day." She said in a mocking tone.

"Don't listen to that old man. We all do it." Rachel said.

"Look Rach, I NEED this job. I'm not doing anything to screw it up. My parents aren't putting me through acting school, like yourself, and I'm not here to meet someone to hopefully catch a big break, again….like yourself. I've got kids, I'm here for them." Allison said.

"Ok…suit yourself, but when he sits in my station….I'm gonna' be all over that." Rachel said as she walked away.

Allison went back out to the floor and saw that Lincoln was leaving the restaurant. She went over to the table to collect his money. She picked up the money and then ran after him.

"Mr. Burrows……MR. BURROWS." Allison said as she ran after him.

Lincoln turned around and smiled. "Yes?"

"I need to get you your change. You almost forgot it." Allison said.

"That's not necessary, keep the change." Lincoln looked around as if he were checking to see if someone was listening. He leaned in close to Allison and whispered in her ear. "Most waitresses call it a tip." Lincoln said as he turned to leave the restaurant.

"No…wait…I don't think you understand, you left $100.00 on the table….your bill is only $17.00." Allison said.

"Then I guess lunch is on you next time." Lincoln said as he left the building.

Allison didn't know what to say. She looked at the money in her hand and back toward the door. She watched Lincoln get into his car and drive away


	3. Chapter 3 Ed

**Disclaimer: **

Oddly enough I still don't own and am not affiliated with Fox, Prison Break or it's characters.

So don't get any silly ideas about suing me.

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After the restaurant closed, Allison prepped her stations for the next day. When she was done, she sat down and put her feet up. She was sure if she took her shoes off her feet would be twice their normal size.

"Hey Al….we're gonna' grab a beer over at "The Den", wanna' come?" Rachel asked.

"Nahh, I'm beat….and I'm a room mommy tomorrow at Lindsey's school….but thanks anyway hon." Allison replied

"Your loss…..you never know who you're going to see at the Den." Rachel said.

Rachel and a few of the other employees from the restaurant all piled into Rachel's Navigator and left. Ally put her head back and closed her eyes.

"Hey….are you gonna' to stay here all night?" Ed asked.

"No…I'm just relaxing before I get home to my second job." Ally said.

"Must be tough taking care of those girls by yourself." Ed said.

"Yea, it is….but my parents help out with them quite a bit and they're pretty good kids for the most part. The oldest one pushes my buttons though." Ally said.

"Just wait….it gets worse." Ed said as he laughed.

"So I hear." Allison said.

"You want a glass of wine before you go?" Ed asked.

"Sure, but just one, I gotta' drive." Ally replied.

Ed went to the back and brought out a bottle of wine and two glasses. He set them down on the table and poured them each a glass.

Allison sipped at her wine. "It's good…thanks." Allison said.

"So Ed…what's your story? You married? Kids?" Allison asked.

"You want to know about _me_?….Hmmm, where do I start?….Well I married young, I was about 20 and she had just turned 18. Beautiful woman…Bok Soon is her name, but everyone calls her Kim. Met her in Korea when I was stationed in Seoul with the Army. We had a couple of kids. Traveled alot with the military. I retired and got into the restaurant business…then I bought this place and worked it practically 24/7….and well…..I'm ashamed to say it, but I had an affair and my wife found out." Ed stopped talking for a moment and took another sip of his wine. The look on his face told Allison he still loved his wife very much.

"Kim tried to stay…said she'd try and forgive me, but it was never the same. If I was three minutes late coming home, she would call here fifteen times. If my cell phone battery died, she was positive I was with another woman and I just wasn't answering the phone. So, we decided it wasn't fair to either one of us, or the kids, to keep living that way and we divorced about twelve years ago. Our kids are grown now. One boy and one girl." Ed said.

"You still love her don't you?" Allison asked.

"I do." Ed said. He sat back in his chair and folded his arms. "But, she's married again. She's happy and that makes me happy." Ed replied.

Ed and Allison talked for a while longer. Allison looked at her watch. "Ed, I really gotta' go. I need to spend some time with my girls and I'm sure my parents are ready to be rid of them right about now." Allison said.

Ed and Ally stood up. Ed gave Allison a big bear hug.

"Glad you're with us here Al. I think you're gonna' work out just fine." He said.

"I'll see you in a couple of days. Looks like you gave me a little time off." Ally said.

"Enjoy it, that doesn't happen very often." Ed said.

Ally rolled her eyes and laughed. "Bye Ed." She said and left the restaurant.


	4. Chapter 4 The Joys of Parenthood

**Disclaimer:**

I tried to buy FOX, Prison Break and it's characters today and I was a couple bucks short, so for the time being, I don't own them

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MOMMY!"…..Lindsey and Kellie shouted seeing Ally walk in the door.

"Hi babies…...Oh, I can't believe how much I missed you today. Have you been good for Grandma and Grandpa?" Allison asked as she smothered them with hugs and kisses.

"We been very good Mommy…I helped Grandma with the dishes and Kellie helped Grandpa watch T.V." Lindsey said.

"Where's Taylor?" Allison asked Lindsey.

"She's on the computer." Lindsey said.

"I should have guessed." Allison stood up and went to the den.

"Hi honey, how was school today?" Allison asked Taylor.

"Good….Oh mom….guess what?…..Leia said that Lelani said that Cody likes me!" Taylor squealed.

"Really? Cody Waldron? That boy you were telling me about the other day?" Ally replied.

"Yep!!! That's him." Taylor said.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this Tay….you're only 11." Allison said.

"Mom….I'm ALMOST 12 and it's not like we're gonna' get married or something." Taylor said.

"Taylor, don't try and grow up to fast. Enjoy being a kid while you can." Allison said.

Taylor stood up and stormed out of the room. On her way out, she shouted at Allison, "DAD would NEVER call me a kid!"

Allison sat down in the chair Taylor had been sitting in and put her head in her hands. "Maybe not…but he's not here to know for sure now is he?" Allison said under her breath.

"Ally, is everything ok?" Allison's dad asked.

"Yea Daddy, just the same stuff. Don't worry about it; we'll work it out. How were the girls for you tonight?" Allison asked.

"They were good, as always. Kellie sure is talking up a storm now. Mom's working on getting her potty trained. That's not going so well yet." Allison's Dad said.

"Damn it Dad, you guys shouldn't have to be raising my kids. I hate hearing about the new words that Kellie is saying and the new things that Lindsey is learning in school from you guys. I hate it Dad. I want to be there for all of their "firsts"!" Allison said.

"Come here Ally, give your old man a hug." Allison's dad said as he held his arms out. She felt safe in her Dad's arms, a feeling she wished would never go away.

"Daddy, you always know how to make me feel better." Allison said and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I need to get the girls home and in the bathtub." Allison said.

"Girls, come on…get your things….we need to get home." Allison yelled.

Taylor stood in front of Allison with her arms folded. "I want to stay here with Grandma and Grandpa." Taylor said.

"No honey, we need to get home. I still need to look over your homework." Allison said.

"Grandpa already did….I want to stay here." Taylor said.

Allison looked at her Mom.

"It's fine Al….she can stay here tonight. We love having her. She's such a big help." Allison's mom said.

"She'll be all right here tonight Ally…go home and get some rest." Allison's dad said.

"All right, if you're sure its not too much...Taylor, be good for Grandma and Grandpa." Allison said giving Taylor a hug and a kiss. Taylor returned the affection half-heartedly.

"I love you Tay." Allison said.

"Yea…ok." Taylor replied.

Allison shook her head. She gave her parents a hug and gathered Lindsey and Kellie's things and took them home.

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"Mommy….Mommy…..MOMMY!! Wake up!" Lindsey said.

Allison opened her eyes. "What times is it Lin?" Ally asked in a groggy voice.

"The little hand is on the 8 and the big hand is on the 9." Lindsey said.

"WHAT!!! Ally shouted as she jumped out of bed. "Oh my God…we're going to be late!"

"Get your sister up and help her get dressed honey, then get yourself dressed and brush your teeth...oh and your hair too. See if Kellie will let you brush her teeth…If not I'll do it when I get out of the shower…….Crap…I don't have time for a shower….honey….go, hurry please!" Ally said as she rushed around her room, digging in drawers trying to find something to wear for her day as a "room mom".

"Ok, Mommy." Lindsey said.

Allison threw on some black slacks and a light pink sweater. She found her black shoes and put those on. She ran to the bathroom and combed her hair and ran a toothbrush over her teeth. She splashed some water on her face and blotted it dry.

"Mommy…..Kellie won't get up…she keeps going back to sleep." Lindsey said.

"Ok, honey, just go get yourself dressed, Mommy will take care of Kellie…..thanks for trying baby." Allison said.

Allison put her hair up and quickly put on a little make up. "That'll have to do." Allison said to herself.

"Kellie…time to get up baby." Allison said as she walked into Kellie's room.

Kellie opened her eyes and then closed them again.

"Come on honey…Mommy's late today…don't do this please." Allison said as she reached over to pick her up.

"Shit! She's burning up." Allison whispered to herself.

Allison found the phone and dialed her parent's number.

"Hello?"

"Daddy…it's me Ally. I'm running really late today….and I have to be at Lindsey's school in just a few minutes to be a room mom…..Kellie has a fever and….." Before Ally could finish what she was saying her dad said, "I'll send Mom over to watch Kellie. I'm on my way out to take Taylor to school."

"Thanks Dad. I love you." Allison said as she hung up the phone.

"Lindsey….are you dressed yet honey?" Allison yelled.

Lindsey came out of the bathroom. She had brushed her hair and tried to put it up in a ponytail. She didn't quite get all of the hair up and she had gotten toothpaste in it too.

"Do I look pretty Mommy?" Lindsey asked as she turned around so Allison could see what she had picked out to wear.

"Come here honey, we're going to have to change your clothes…I'm afraid your pretty orange shirt doesn't match your purple pants very well." Allison said.

"Then you don't think I'm pretty?" Lindsey asked.

"No…no honey, you're beautiful….always….no matter what. But, I'm sorry, I just can't get past the purple and orange you've got goin' on. Come on, let's find something else." Allison said as she took Lindsey into the bedroom to find some different clothes.

Just as Allison was finished dressing Lindsey and fixing her hair, Allison's Mom showed up to watch Kellie. "Mom, you have no idea how much you have saved us today." Allison said kissing her mom.

"I gotta' run. I'll be back in a few hours…there's Children's Motrin in the medicine cabinet, can you give a teaspoon to Kellie please?" Allison asked.

"Honey, I've done this a few times before. We'll be just fine….go on." Allison's mom said.

"Call me on my cell if she gets worse." Allison said as she left the house.

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Allison's days off from the restaurant weren't spent the way she had planned them. She had wanted to spend some time with Taylor shopping and doing girl things. But as luck would have it, Kellie spent the next two days demanding her constant attention.

"Mom, I thought you said we were going shopping and you were going to get my hair done." Taylor said to Allison.

"I know honey, I'm sorry…this is out of my control. Kellie is sick and as you can tell, she's not in the best of moods." Allison replied.

"It's always something Mom. You never have any time for me. It's ALWAYS the babies…..You think because I'm the oldest….I'll understand….that I can handle it?" Taylor said.

"Taylor, it's not that I don't _want_ to have time for you. The fact is…that I don't have a lot of time for a lot of things. Kellie and Lindsey require more then you do. And because you _are_ older you _are_ more self-sufficient then they are……and yes, I do hope that you would understand that. You have no idea how much I would enjoy just a day to shop, have lunch, get a manicure and just spend the day with you. I promise you I WILL make it happen. Just not right now." Allison replied.

"Why can't Grandma and Grandpa watch them?" Taylor asked.

"Because, it's not fair to them to _always_ have to watch them honey. They do so much for us already….and, they don't need to be getting sick either. Grandma had surgery not too long ago if you remember correctly and she's still not 100 yet." Allison said.

"It's not FAIR to them?" Taylor said, raising her voice. "FAIR! ARE YOU KIDDING ME MOM? Nothing has been _fair_ since Dad died….especially not for me. Everyone was so concerned about Lindsey and Kellie and how _they_ were going to handle not having a Daddy. What about me mom? I lost him too….everybody seems to forget that around here." Taylor ran to her room sobbing.

Allison followed Taylor to her room. "Taylor…open the door please." Allison said knocking on Taylor's door. "Taylor, open the door, I want to talk to you." Allison said again.

"NO…GO AWAY!" She yelled. Taylor turned up her music and refused to come out.

Allison went to her room and lay on the bed. She looked at the nightstand where Brian's picture was. "Bri….what the hell do I do now?" She said out loud. "If you've got any infinite words of wisdom, I could sure use them right now." She said talking to his picture. The tears that she had been avoiding for so long forced their way out of her eyes. Before she knew it, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ma ma….you crying?" Kellie said softly. Kellie put her hand on Allison's back and patted her gently…."Ma ma? You got boo boo?" Kellie asked.

Allison sat up on the edge of the bed and lifted Kellie up and sat her next to her.

"Yea…Ma Ma has a boo boo honey." Allison said.

"Kellie kiss it." Kellie said sweetly.

"Honey, you can't see this boo boo. It's in Mommy's heart. It'll get better sweetie…it'll be ok." Allison said.

She picked Kellie up and hugged her tightly. She looked at Brian's picture again. "Thank you babe." She said.


	5. Chapter 5 Barney

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own 'em yet.

* * *

"Hey Al, how was your time off?" Rachel asked.

"Kellie was sick, Taylor and I got into it….but other then that, it was ok." Ally answered.

"Well, you should have gone with us to the Den the other night…we ended up having drinks with some pretty cute guys." Rachel said.

"Sounds like you had a good time." Allison said.

"Yep…and the best part about it was that one of the guys, Jim works for Creative Arts Talent Agency and he's going to take a look at some of my clips." Rachel said.

"This could be it Rach….just remember the little people that knew you when you were a nobody" Ally joked.

"Rachel!...Ally! You got customers." Ed yelled.

"Be right there." Rachel yelled back.

"Let me know what happens Rachel, I'm excited for you." Allison said as she headed for her tables.

"Hi, I'm Allison, can I get you something to drink?" Allison asked.

"Hi….how are you?" Lincoln asked.

Allison smiled. "Really good….you're Lincoln…..right?" Ally asked.

"Yea, I was here the other day." Lincoln answered.

"I remember….what can I get you…..lunch is on me….remember?" Allison said.

"French fries and iced tea." Lincoln said.

"Are you serious? It's on me I said." Ally told Lincoln.

"I'll tell you what, instead of buying my lunch, I'll let you buy me dinner." Lincoln said.

"I don't work the dinner shift tonight." Ally said.

"It doesn't have to be here." Lincoln said with a sly smile on his face.

Allison laughed. "Ohhhh, I get it……..but No, I can't….we are bound by strict rules about fraternizing with the customers..._and_, I have three kids to pick up right after work...sorry." Allison said.

"That's fine, bring them too and I'll take care of Ed and his rules." Lincoln said.

"Really Mr. Burrows…..I can't." Allison said.

"Please...call me Lincoln...and I don't want to put any pressure on you…..but…..you owe me and I'm pretty stubborn when it comes to collecting on debts." Lincoln said.

Allison laughed. "French fries and iced tea……that's it? Allison asked.

"That'll be fine….unless of course you'll have dinner with me." Lincoln said.

"Maybe you didn't get it." Ally said as she leaned over the table……"I'm not on the menu nor am I today's special….._Lincoln_." She said whispering in his ear.

"I love a woman that plays hard-to-get." Lincoln laughed.

"YOU are impossible!" Ally returned the laugh.

"Oh...Allison, one more thing...come here" Lincoln said as he gestured for her to come closer.

Allison looked around and leaned over so she could hear Lincoln.

He looked around as if to make sure no one else was listening. Then he whispered, "I want you to know...(he looked around again) that when you lean down like this...I can see down your shirt."

Allison rolled her eyes.

"I'll be right back with your iced tea." Allison said.

Ed was making his rounds in the restaurant, checking on customers and seeing to it that everyone was comfortable and had everything they needed.

"Lincoln Burrows, how the hell are ya' buddy?" Ed said. He said, shaking Lincoln's hand. "Mind if I sit down?" Ed asked.

"Be my guest….would love the company as a matter-of-fact." Lincoln replied.

Allison came back with Lincoln's iced tea and set it on the table. "You're order should be right up." She said.

"Ally, can you have them make me a roast beef sandwich for me please?" Ed asked.

"Sure, no problem." Allison smiled and went to the kitchen.

"I'm sure glad I hired that one." Ed said to Lincoln. "She's a hard worker and the customers love her…..haven't had a complaint yet."

Lincoln took a sip of his iced tea and set it back down on the table. "Tell me about her…married? Divorced? Boyfriend?" Lincoln asked Ed.

"She's widowed. Husband's been gone about a year now. She has three girls that she lives and breathes for. She was going to be a nurse before her husband died." Ed said.

"Say...Ed...tell me something, how strict are your rules about your staff "fraternizing" with the customers Ed?" Lincoln asked.

Ed laughed. "Oh...I see. Well, Lincoln….I always say……"Rules are made to be broken." He answered.

Allison brought their food. "Anything else boys?" Allison said.

"Dinner maybe?" Lincoln answered.

"Like I told you Mr. Burrows…..we have strict rules here…..isn't that right Ed?" Allison said smiling at Ed.

"Huh? What rules?" Ed said as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

Allison laughed. "Men!!……you guys are plotting against me aren't' you?" Allison joked.

"If you'll excuse me gentlemen...there are _OTHER_ guests I have to see to." Allison said.

Ed leaned over to Lincoln and whispered.. "She's tough.…….good luck with that one."

Lincoln laughed "Looks like I'm gonna' need it……and any help I can get from you would be much appreciated."

Ed stood up from the table. "I'll do what I can Lincoln. I have to get back to work. It was good to see you again." Ed said, shaking Lincoln's hand.

Lincoln asked one of the waitresses for a piece of paper.

Lincoln was already gone when Allison came back to his table. She cleared the table, not expecting to find anything, since she had agreed to buy his lunch. She picked up his napkin and underneath it sat an origami swan. Inside the swan was a $100.00 bill and a note. "This is for _ED's_ lunch…._NOT _mine…..and just in case you change your mind about dinner, here's my number." Allison shook her head and laughed.

After work, Allison took her shoes off and sat in the front seat of her car. She put her feet up on the dash and let the air conditioning cool them off. Sticking out of her purse was the origami swan that Lincoln gave her. She took it out and looked at it for a while.

There was no denying he did wonders for her ego and she did think he was extremely handsome. "I'm just not ready for this yet……..I don't know if I'll every be ready for someone else." Ally thought to herself.

* * *

"Hey guys it's me!" Allison said as she opened the front door to her parent's house.

"Hi Mommy." Kellie said.

Allison knelt down and held her arms out. "Hi Baby…come give me kisses." She said.

Kellie ran into Allison's arms. Lindsey and Taylor came into the room.

"Hi Mom." Taylor said.

"Hi honey…..how's everything?" Allison asked Taylor.

"It's good….how was your day at work? Meet anyone famous today?" Taylor asked.

"I waited on some people, but I didn't get to actually meet them. We're not supposed to bother the "beautiful people" with autographs or small talk." Allison said.

"Not cool." Taylor replied.

"Hey…Tay Tay…..have you ever heard of Lincoln Burrows?" Allison asked.

"Yea, he's that guy that escaped from Fox River with his brother." Taylor said.

"I've waited on him a couple of times now." Allison told Taylor.

"Are you serious? He's hot!" Taylor said.

Allison laughed. "I don't know about that honey, but he is rather handsome." She said.

"Hot equals handsome Mom. Same thing." Taylor said rolling her eyes.

"Oh…ok. Let's get everyone together and get home." Allison said.

When Allison got home, she dropped her purse on the floor and drug herself to her recliner. She sat down and put her feet up.

"Mommy, will you play with me?" Lindsey asked.

"Honey, my feet hurt and I'm so tired. I just want to relax a little bit, before I start dinner and get you guys ready for bed……can we play tomorrow maybe?" Allison asked.

"Sure Mommy…..that's ok...I'm just going to go pretend Daddy is playing with me." Lindsey said as she walked away.

Allison rested her head for a moment and closed her eyes.

"Oh great…..she's going to be telling everyone at school I make her play with dead people." Allison thought to herself.

Allison stood up. "Lindsey….I'll play with you…come here baby." She yelled down the hall.

The phone rang. "Where's the phone?…..has anyone seen the phone?" Allison yelled.

Allison searched for the cordless phone and finally found it under some newspaper.

"Hello?" Allison said.

"Ally….this is Rachel. Did I catch you at a bad time?" Rachel asked.

"No…what's up?" Ally asked.

"Well, I was just talking to Ed and he said that Lincoln Burrows asked you to dinner." Rachel said.

"Yea…and I said "No"." Ally told Rachel.

"Girlfriend….have you lost your mind?" Rachel asked.

Allison laughed. "Yes…a very long time ago, but that's not the point. Rach….I'm not ready for this and my kids aren't ready for it either. It seems like we just lost Brian yesterday. I just can't…..not yet." Allison said.

"Al…..it'll get better…..I know it will. I was just excited for you when Ed told me and I had to call." Rachel said

"Thanks Rach. It was kind of exciting...but like I said. It's too soon still." Allison said.

"Lindsey wants me to play with her and I still need to cook dinner, so I'm gonna' let you go Rach. I'll see you tomorrow." Allison said.

"Ok sweetie." Rachel said as she hung up the phone.

"Lindsey….let's play….whatever it is you want to play." Allison said.

Lindsey brought out her Barney Candyland game.

Allison sat down at the kitchen table and helped Lindsey set up the game. "Oh…..yay……Barney Candyland." Allison said…._VERY_ sarcastically.


	6. Chapter 6 Hugs

**Disclaimer:** I'm still poor

**A/N**: Dear readers, I can see the hits to the story, and I do hope you're enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing. Please leave reviews. I am open to suggestions, so constructive criticism is more then welcome.

* * *

Lincoln had lunch at the restaurant every day and sat in Allison's station, and every day, he would leave her no less then $100.00 in an origami swan.

Allison and Lincoln's conversations rarely changed from him asking her to dinner and Allison saying "No" and thanking him politely. She tried several times to give him some of the money he left her, but we wouldn't take it.

Ed afforded Allison some leniency where Lincoln was concerned and her extended conversations with him while she was working; One, because Lincoln was a regular at the restaurant and brought in a lot of business, and two, because he had grown to love Allison very much. They would often stay behind in the restaurant after it closed and talk. Ed told Allison things about himself and his life that he had never shared with anyone before. Not even his ex-wife. Allison shared her life stories that included the pain of losing her husband Brian. Often times Ed would hold her as she cried.

One night after the restaurant closed, Allison and Ed were having some wine and talking.

Knock, knock, knock…they heard at the front door.

"We're closed." Ed yelled.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Let me see who it is….I'll be right back. Pour me some more wine if you would please." Ed asked Allison.

Ed opened the front door. "Hey there…come on in. I was just having a drink with my favorite waitress." Allison heard Ed say.

Ed came down the hallway followed by Lincoln whose eyes sparkled as he smiled at her.

"Hey, I saw your cars here as I was driving by and thought I'd stop and say "Hi"...and to see if Allison might want to get some dinner." Lincoln said.

Allison laughed. "I'll tell you what...you guys stay here…I'll be right back." Allison said as she got up from her seat and went to the kitchen. "Hey….you want a beer or something Lincoln?" Allison yelled.

"Please."

Allison brought Lincoln a beer and she went back into the kitchen. Lincoln "admired" her as she walked away.

Lincoln leaned over to Ed. "Did you talk to her? Any luck yet?" Lincoln whispered as he looked toward the kitchen.

"Sorry buddy……she won't budge……give her some time. She's still grieving over the loss of her husband and she's really worried about what her kids would do if she were to date again." Ed whispered back.

"Well keep workin' on her for me." Lincoln said.

Allison came out of the kitchen holding a tray brimming with appetizers she had made. "Hope you guys are hungry." Allison said

"You made these right now?" Lincoln asked.

"Don't be so shocked…..I've been known to spend a little time in the kitchen on occasion. Most of it was already cooked, I just had to put it together. It wasn't that difficult." Allison said.

"Ally….these are amazing." Ed said after eating a stuffed portabella mushroom. "Everything…it's wonderful."

"Serious Ally, this is really good." Lincoln added as he continued to sample what she had made.

All of the fuss made her blush. "Stop guys….it's no big deal. These are easy. I told you all I had to do was put it together." Allison said.

"Ally, I think we may have a different position for you here at the restaurant……and the pay would probably be better." Ed said.

Allison groaned. "Ed…no…..I don't want to be stuck in the kitchen all day."

"I promise, you won't be in the kitchen all the time. I want to start catering special events on a large-scale basis. I think you might be the person I've been looking for to help me do that. You could still wait tables but when I have a catering job, you could work that. I think you're perfect for this." Ed said.

"I don't know Ed, I'll have to think about it…I don't get enough time with my kids as it is." Allison said.

"Ok, think about it and we'll talk more later." Ed said.

Allison, Lincoln and Ed ate and drank and talked. Allison laughed like she hadn't laughed in a long time.

Allison stood and put her coat on. "Hey guys, I gotta' get home. Thank you for the company. I had a really good time." Allison said.

Lincoln stood too. He looked at Allison and smiled. "I don't want you thinking this gets you out of dinner. These were just appetizers." Lincoln said.

Allison laughed. "Are you _ever_ going to give up?" Allison asked.

"Nope." Lincoln answered.

Ally hugged Ed and kissed him on the cheek. After a slightly awkward moment, Allison hugged Lincoln quickly and said her goodbyes.

"Let me walk you to your car. It's dark." Lincoln said.

Allison flashed a quick "help me" look at Ed but he avoided looking in her direction.

"Umm….ok." Allison agreed.

Lincoln walked her to her car and they stood there for a moment looking around aimlessly without saying anything.

"Well…ok…..thanks for walking me to my car….I'm ummmm, going to get in my car now and." Allison stumbled over her words uncomfortably.

Allison took in a deep breath. "Lincoln, I don't know if Ed has told you anything about me, but I want to let you know that I am _very_ flattered, but I…..I just…I can't date yet. Not yet." Allison said.

"He told me about your husband. I'm very sorry. I hope I haven't been too forward." Lincoln said.

"No….not at all." Allison said.

Allison hugged Lincoln a little more warmly then the last and then got into her car. Lincoln watched her drive away.


	7. Chapter 7 Critical

**Disclaimer:** I've almost saved enough money to buy it all since the last chapter, but not quite yet.

A/N: Thank you Sammie! You know how much I lubs ya! (Jack)

* * *

Allison woke up to the sound of her blaring alarm clock at 6 in the morning. She felt like she had a 200-pound wait on her chest. Her throat was sore and her head hurt.

She got up and went to the kitchen and found a thermometer. "103? Noooooo" Allison said to herself. She took her temperature again. "Oh wow, I was wrong….it's 103.4." Allison said.

Allison lied down on the couch and put a blanket over herself. She felt like she was freezing. At 7 am she called her mom and asked her to come and get the kids. She just couldn't do it today. She called and left a message for Ed letting him know there was no way she'd be able to make it to work.

Allison's mom came over and got the girls dressed. "Get some rest today honey and don't worry about the girls. I've packed them some clothes and they can stay a couple of nights with me and dad while you take care of yourself….really Ally….you need to rest. You've been working too hard." Allison's mother said.

Allison rolled over on the couch. "Thank you Mom." Allison said.

Her mom went over to the couch and tucked Ally in. "I'll call you later to see if you need anything. I'll have Dad bring by some of my chicken noodle soup later." She said.

"Ok Mom. I'm going to try and go back to sleep." Allison said.

Allison's mom took the girls and left.

It was 11:00 am and the phone rang. She stumbled to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" Allison said.

"Ally….this is Ed. Are you ok?" He said.

"I don't know. I feel horrible. I got up this morning and it just hit me. When I took my temperature it was over 103." She said.

"You sound awful Ally. What's your temperature right now?" Ed asked.

"I don't know….hang on a minute." Allison said.

She took her temperature again.

"This thing can't be right….it says it's close to 105." Allison told Ed.

"I'm coming over right now and we're going to the hospital….105 is dangerous Ally." Ed said.

He hung up before Allison could argue with him. She actually didn't have the strength to argue. She managed to take a quick shower and brush her teeth. She had just sat down when she heard the knock at the door.

"Come in" She yelled as loud as she could.

"The door's locked Ally." Ed yelled through the door.

Allison stood up and felt weak. She staggered to the door and unlocked it…….

…………………………….

Allison opened her eyes. Everything was blurry. She could see lights above her and some unfamiliar faces. She tried to focus better but couldn't. She closed her eyes again.

………………………………

Allison had fainted and started having convulsions when she opened the door for Ed at her house. Ed knew that her fever was too high and was probably causing her convulsions. He called 911 and the ambulance took her to the hospital.

"Is there someone you can call for her?" The emergency room doctor asked Ed.

"Her parents. But I don't know their number." Ed said. "Wait…I'll call a girl she works with and see if she knows their number."

Ed called Rachel at the restaurant and told her what happened. He asked her if she had Rachel's parent's phone number. "Not here. At home in my address book I do." Rachel told Ed.

"Go get it Rach. Hurry." Ed said.

On Rachel's way out of the restaurant, she ran into Lincoln who was on his way in for lunch. She told him what was going on and Lincoln decided to go to the hospital. When Lincoln arrived at the hospital, he saw Ed in the waiting room.

"Ed, what's going on? Is she ok?" Lincoln asked.

"It's bad Linc….her fever is over 105 now and they can't bring it down. She's been having convulsions and now she has a rash over most of her body they said."

Ed sat down in a chair in the waiting room. He put his head down.

Lincoln sat next to Ed and put his hand on Ed's shoulder. "She'll be ok Ed." Lincoln said.

Ed looked up at Lincoln. Ed had tears in his eyes…."She has to be Lincoln...she's...my best friend." Ed said.

"I know Ed." Lincoln said.

Rachel came in the door.

"Ed…how's Ally?" She asked.

"I don't know much Rachel. But it's bad. She's really sick hon.," Ed said.

"Were you able to get a hold of her parents?" Ed asked Rachel.

"I left a message for them to call me on my cell. They didn't answer the phone." Rachel said.

A doctor came out into the waiting room. "Responsible Party for Allison Graves?" He said.

Ed, Lincoln and Rachel looked at each other and all stood at the same time. "We are" Ed said.

Follow me please the doctor said.

They followed the doctor through the doors and down a long hall. At the end of the hall was a room with about 6 chairs. They all went in the room and the doctor closed the door.

"I'm Dr. Gilbert and I've been treating Allison today. She is a very sick woman right now. We're not sure what's causing her fever. We're running tests and cultures to try and find out if she has a virus or bacteria we can treat. However, that's the least of our worries right now……her left lung has collapsed and we've inserted a chest tube to evacuate the air. There can be complications caused by a chest tube such as infection or bleeding. And we also have to watch out for an accumulation of fluid...Do you have any questions before I continue?" Dr. Gilbert asked.

"What caused her lung to collapse?" Lincoln asked.

"There are several things that can cause pneumothorax or a collapsed lung. It could be caused by a rupture of a cyst on the surface of the lung or an injury to the lung….or an underlying condition with her lungs such as asthma or other lung disease. In addition to the other things that are going on….her blood oxygen levels are dangerously low. This could be caused from the collapsed lung, but I don't believe so in her case. She has one lung that is completely functioning. We do expect the oxygen levels to drop when there is a collapsed lung, but generally not this low." The Dr. Said.

"What do you think could be causing the low oxygen?" Rachel asked.

"There are too many things to list that could cause the low oxygen and it's too soon to speculate. We are going to run extensive testing on her and go from there." Dr. Gilbert said.

"We're not going to lose her are we?" Ed asked as he sat down.

"We're doing everything we can. She's in good hands here." Dr. Gilbert said.

"If there are no more questions, I'm going to get back to Allison." Dr Gilbert said as he turned to leave the room. "Oh….. I make it a practice to have someone check in with the family, every ½ hour, whether or not we have any new news." Dr. Gilbert said and he left.

Ed sat down and lowered his head. Rachel sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ed, is there anything I can do?" Rachel asked.

Ed stood up "Find her parents." Ed said.

Rachel dug through her purse and found her cell phone. She dialled Ally's parent's phone number.

"Come on….be home…be home." Rachel said as she listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?" Rachel's father said.

"Ted….this is Rachel…Rachel Searson, a friend of Ally's" Rachel said.

"Oh yea…Rachel….how are you hon?" Asked Ted.

"Not too good right not Ted.….I don't know how to tell you this but….Ally is in the hospital and she's sick….real sick. You and Elaine should get here as soon as possible." Rachel said.

Ted sat down at the table. "What's wrong with her? We knew she wasn't feeling well, Elaine picked up the kids this morning so she could get some rest…..which hospital?" Ted asked.

"Memorial. She's in I.C.U…..we'll meet you there and tell you more when you get here." Rachel said.

"Ok, we'll be right there." Ted said and hung up.

"That was Ally's Dad. They're on their way." Rachel said.

"Let's get over to I.C.U. and wait for them there." Lincoln said.

Ed, Rachel and Lincoln went to I.C.U. and sat in the waiting room. Lincoln picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages and then put it down. He stood up and paced the room.

"Damn…I feel so helpless." Lincoln said.

Dr. Gilbert entered the waiting room. "We've been able to stabilize Allison. She's still critical, but her vitals have improved." He said.

"Thank God…..what about her fever?" Asked Lincoln.

"That's the part that has us concerned. We haven't been able to bring down her fever. She's in a cooling blanket right now." Dr. Gilbert answered.

Ted, Elaine and Taylor entered the waiting room. "I'm Allison's father. How is she?" Ted asked Dr. Gilbert.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Gilbert……Allison is very sick. I was just saying that we have her stabilized, but her fever is still out of control and she's in a cooling blanket right now." Dr. Gilbert said.

"What's causing her fever?" Elaine asked.

"We don't know yet….the results of the tests haven't come back yet. But we're working on it. You should also know that her left lung collapsed earlier, but we've treated that and it doesn't seem to be a concern right now." Dr. Gilbert said.

Taylor hugged her Grandma and started crying…."Grandma….don't let my mom die…please Grandma do something….please." Taylor said.

Elaine held her tightly "It's ok, honey…these doctors are taking excellent care of your mom." Elaine said.

"What…how….do you know why her lung collapsed?" Ted asked Dr. Gilbert.

"I have to assume she encountered some trauma when she fainted earlier today. Maybe fell on something. She has two broken ribs and we're almost sure that's the culprit." Dr. Gilbert answered.

"Dr. Gilbert, may we see her?" Ted asked.

"Give us a few minutes to clean her up a little and then you can each see her one at a time for no more then 5 minutes." Dr. Gilbert said.

"Thank you." Ed replied.

Dr. Gilbert opened the door to leave. "I'll have one of the nurses let you know when you can see her." He said before he left.


	8. Chapter 8 Comfort

**Disclaimer: **Fox, Prison Break and it's characters own me. I don't own them.

A/N: Show me a little love people.

* * *

"Lincoln, Ed….this is Ted and Elaine, Ally's parents and this is Taylor, her oldest daughter." Rachel said.

"Ed is the owner of the Restaurant and Lincoln is a friend of Ally's" Rachel said.

Everyone shook hands and then sat down.

Taylor looked at Lincoln for a moment and then it dawned on her…"Your Lincoln Burrows!" Taylor exclaimed.

Lincoln smiled. "Yea….I am." He said.

"Fox River Lincoln Burrows?" Ted asked.

"Yes sir" Lincoln replied.

"I'll be damned," Ted said.

"How do you know Ally?" Elaine asked Lincoln.

"She's my favourite waitress at Ellie's." Lincoln answered

A nurse entered the room. "You can see Allison now, but the doctor wants to make sure that it's for no more then 5 minutes per person one at a time please." She said.

"Honey, you go first." Ted told Elaine.

Elaine stood and walked toward the door. "Thank you" Elaine said to Ted. She followed the nurse to Ally's room.

"She has several tubes and there are a lot of wires and machines." The nurse told Elaine.

"Ok, thank you." Elaine replied.

The nurse opened the door to Allison room. Elaine gasped. "Oh my God" she whispered.

Elaine went in and sat next to Allison's bed. She held her hand. She brushed some hair out of Allison's face. "Ally, it's Mom sweetheart. I'm here with you honey." She said.

Allison didn't respond. Elaine looked around at all of the machines and then back at Allison. "I love you honey….we all love you and we're all here. Dad and your friends are here to." Elaine said.

Elaine sat and held Allison's hand until the nurse came in. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid your time is up." She said.

"Ok." Elaine said. She stood up and bent over and kissed Allison on the forehead. "Dad will be here in minute sweetie." She said. Elaine walked out of the room and into the waiting room.

Elaine had held back her tears in Allison's room. She wanted to be strong for her but when she got to the waiting room, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer, "My baby…..my little girl" She said hugging Ted.

Taylor got up from her chair and went to Elaine. "Come here Grandma sit down." She said as she led Elaine to a chair.

Ted went to see Allison next, then Taylor, Rachel and Ed. Lincoln was the only one who hadn't seen her.

"Lincoln, would you like to see Ally?" Ted said.

"Yes, I would, if you don't mind." Lincoln replied.

"She needs all the support she can get right now." Ted said.

Lincoln stood from his chair and thanked Ted. He walked down the hall with the nurse and into Ally's room.

"5 minutes" the nurse said as she left the room and shut the door.

Lincoln wasn't sure what to do or say. He sat down next to the bed and took her hand.

"Ally, it's me Lincoln. I just want you to know that you're not getting out of dinner this easy." He said.

Lincoln looked at Allison. "Ally, you are so beautiful…..even now." He said.

He picked up her hand and softly kissed it. Lincoln rested his head on the bed next to Allison and continued to hold her hand.

The nurse opened the door. When she saw Lincoln sitting there, she assumed he had fallen asleep. Thinking that he was probably her husband or boyfriend, she decided to let him rest next to Allison and she quietly shut the door.

Lincoln did fall asleep. He felt comfortable there with Allison. He loved the smell of her skin and the smoothness of her hands.


	9. Chapter 9 You Still Owe Me Dinner

**Disclaimer:** I'm just my little onsies and don't own a damn thing.

* * *

Lincoln felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and realized he was in the hospital next to Allison. He turned around but there was no one there. He turned back around and looked at Ally. She had her eyes open.

"Hey there beautiful….how you doin'" Lincoln asked Allison taking her hand into his and softly kissing it.

Allison didn't have the energy to speak, she nodded her head yes.

"It's good to see you. You gave us all quite a scare." He said.

"I need to let everyone know you're awake……but before I go……I want to talk to you about that dinner you owe me" Lincoln said.

Allison smiled and nodded her head "Yes".

Lincoln picked up her hand and kissed it. "All right then…it's a date." He said.

A nurse opened the door and came in. "Well look who's awake." She said.

"I was just about to let you guys know." Lincoln said.

"I'll need to get in touch with Dr. Gilbert and run some tests on her, why don't you notify the family." The nurse said to Lincoln.

"Ok, no problem." Lincoln said as he stood up.

"I'll see you in a little bit ok?" He said to Allison.

Ally smiled and nodded "Yes".

Lincoln walked into the waiting room. "Guess who's awake?" He said with a huge smile on his face.

"REALLY?" Taylor said.

"Really!" Lincoln responded.

"The nurse is going to notify Dr. Gilbert and run some tests on her." Lincoln said.

Ted and Elaine went to the nurse's station to see if they could get any more information. The nurse told them they would have to wait for the Doctor. They went back to the waiting room, hoping that they would hear something soon.

Dr. Gilbert finally entered the waiting room. "She's awake, her fever is down to 102 which is good progress. Her vitals are great and her oxygen levels are perfect. She's going to be just fine." He said.

"What was the cause of the fever?" Ed asked the Doctor.

"We're still not sure, I'm sorry, I wish I had more answers for you. We might not ever know what caused the fever. But it looks like the cooking blanket and the anti-biotics are working." Dr. Gilbert said.

"I'm still going to be very cautious and I want to limit your visits with her to 10 minutes each please. She's been through a lot and needs her rest." He said.

"We understand….and thank you VERY much Dr. Gilbert." Elaine said.

"I need to call Lindsey and Kellie and let them know their Mommy is going to be ok. They're at our neighbours house right now." Elaine said.

Elaine called Lindsey and Kellie and told them the good news. Lindsey wanted to talk to her mommy and Elaine told her that they would call her later from Ally's room and they would put the phone to her ear so they could talk to her.

* * *

Lincoln opened the door to Ally's hospital room. "Hey, how you doin' today?" He asked.

"A little better. I'm still kind of weak. I had to have the nurses help me take a bath." Allison said.

Lincoln sat next to Allison's bed. "Don't rely on the nurses for that sort of thing. Call me. I think I'd do a much better job of helping you bathe then they would." Lincoln said.

Ally laughed. "You think so huh?" She said.

"Only one way to find out." Lincoln laughed.

Dr. Gilbert opened the door to Allison's room. "Good Morning. How are you feeling today?" He asked.

"Better. A little tired." Allison answered.

Dr. Gilbert flipped through Allison's chart and made some notes. "How would you like to go home today?" Dr. Gilbert asked.

"Are you serious?" Ally asked.

"Serious. It's been two weeks already. You're vitals are good. You're lungs look good. I think you're ready. _BUT_, you have to take it easy. I don't want you back at work for at least another two weeks Allison." Dr. Gilbert said.

"I don't know about that, I don't even know how I'm going to pay for all of this already." Allison said.

"What are you talking about? Your bill was paid already." Dr. Gilbert said.

'No, no….I don't have insurance." Allison said.

"No, I'm sure of it, you don't owe anything. Everything was taken care of." He said.

Allison gave Lincoln a confused look and then looked back to Dr. Gilbert. "What…how?" she asked.

Dr. Gilbert shrugged his shoulders and then closed her file. "I have to do some paperwork so you can get out of here. It shouldn't be more then an hour. I want to see you in my office in one week for a follow up." Dr. Gilbert said.

"Ok. One week……ummm, Dr. Gilbert, do you have any idea who took care of my bill. It wasn't my parents was it? They don't have that kind of money." Allison asked.

Dr. Gilbert looked through the paper work. "I'm not sure Allison. You could probably check with hospital billing." He said.

"Ok….and thanks for everything." Allison told Dr. Gilbert before he left.

Allison looked at Lincoln who was sitting quietly next to her. "Can you believe that? My parents don't have that kind of money." She said.

Lincoln took Allison's hand and kissed it softly. "The point is that you're better and you're going home. Don't worry about the bill Al. It's taken care of." He said.

The nurses came in and helped Allison get ready to leave. Lincoln was asked to wait outside while she dressed. "Oh…that won't be necessary." He said.

Allison rolled her eyes. "Yes it will Burrows." She said.

After all of the paperwork was completed, a nurse brought in a wheel chair for Allison. "Your chariot awaits young lady." She said.

Allison slowly got up from her bed and sat in the wheel chair. They wheeled her out of the hospital where Lincoln was waiting for her in his car. Lincoln got out of the car and helped her in.

"I guess this means you'll have to show me where you live." Lincoln said smiling at Ally.

Allison laughed. "No stalking me…..you hear me." She said.

"No promises." He said.

On the way home, Allison called her parents from her cell phone to let them know that she'd been released from the hospital.

"Mom, I miss my girls." Allison said on the phone.

"Ally, I know honey, but you're not going to do them any good if you're sick. Get your rest honey. I'll bring them by to see you I promise. Get home and get settled in first. I'll give you a call a little later. I love you." Allison's mom said.

"I love you too mom. Give the girls big hugs and kisses for me please." Allison said.

"You know I will. Bye Ally." Elaine said as she hung up the phone.

Allison stared out the window. Her disappointment was obvious. She missed her kids and wanted them with her but she knew her mother was right. She was in no shape to care for them.

Lincoln looked at Allison and knew what she was thinking. He gently laid his hand on her leg. "It's gonna' be ok. You'll get to see them soon." He said.

Without thinking Allison laid her hand on top of Lincoln's. "Thanks." She said. She scooted closer to Lincoln and laid her head on his shoulder. He was comforting and she needed that right now.

Pointing out the window Allison said, "That's it right there. That's my house."

Lincoln pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. He grabbed her bags from the back and went around to Allison's side. He opened the door and held his hand out to help her out. Allison grabbed his hand and stepped onto the ground. She immediately fell backward.

Lincoln dropped her bags and caught her. "Ally, are you ok?" He asked.

Allison grabbed her head, "Yea…yea…I'm ok. Just a little dizzy." She said.

Lincoln held out his hand. "Give me your keys and wait here." He said.

Allison handed Lincoln her house keys. He went to the door and unlocked it. He put her bags inside the house and then went back to the truck.

"Put your arms around my neck." He told Allison.

"No….I'm fine….really." She insisted.

"Allison, don't be difficult…..just put your arms around my neck." He said.

Allison rolled her eyes at Lincoln. "Ok….fine." She said.

She put her arms around his neck and he lifted her up. Allison rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her inside. Lincoln kicked the door shut behind him. He carried her to the couch and sat her down.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" He said.

Allison folder her arms in front of her. "No….not at all…..just completely humiliating." Allison replied.

"Where do you keep the blankets and the pillows?" Lincoln asked.

"NO….NO….ABSOLUTELY NOT! I'm not a complete invalid…I'll be fine." Allison insisted.

Allison slowly got up from the couch. Lincoln rested his hands on her hips to steady her.

"I'm fine…I'm ok. Let me walk around for a bit." Allison said.

Allison started to move away from Lincoln, but his grip stayed firm and she couldn't move. She looked up at him.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"This." Lincoln leaned toward Allison and softly kissed her. He raised his hands from her hips to her face.

Allison held Lincoln's hands against her face. She pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed it.

"Does this mean I get out of dinner?" She asked playfully.

Lincoln smiled and kissed her again. "No way, there's no way I'm letting you out of that." He laughed.


	10. Chapter 10 Kellie and Lindsey

**Disclaimer**: Same stuff, different day

* * *

Lincoln sat on the couch next to Allison. She turned on the t.v. and grabbed a pillow. She laid it on Lincoln's lap and rested her head on the pillow. Lincoln slowly stroked Allison's long blonde curls. Taking in her scent, he felt a blanket of contentment surround him.

Allison woke up and found herself in her bed. She looked at the clock; it was 1:30 am. She slowly lifted herself from the bed feeling faint at first; she bent over and steadied herself.

Allison walked down the hallway keeping her balance holding the walls. She found Lincoln asleep on the couch. Allison went to the hall closet and found a blanket. She brought it out to the living room and covered him gently. She knelt down by the couch and watched him sleep. She couldn't resist……..she softly kissed his forehead, then the tip of his nose….she stopped a moment and smiled. She continued and kissed his lips.

Lincoln woke up and smiled. He pulled her up on the couch and rested her on top of him. Allison laid her head down on his chest.

"What are you doing awake?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't know…I just woke up." Allison answered.

"Hey...you're mom called earlier and I told her you had fallen asleep. She didn't want me to wake you, so I let you sleep." Lincoln told Allison.

"You put me in bed?" Allison asked.

"I thought you'd be more comfortable in there." Lincoln answered.

Allison lay against Lincoln's chest and thought about these feelings she had for him. She wondered if she should feel guilty or not. He was amazing….she felt safe when he was around and she was comfortable with him. "Just take it slow Ally." She told herself. Allison closed her eyes and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Allison woke up the next morning before Lincoln. She carefully got up from the couch, not wanting to wake him. She showered and put on a little make up. Allison wasn't big on make up but thought her eyes looked tired without it. She dried and curled her hair. She got dressed and went into the living room.

Lincoln woke up while she was in the shower. He was folding the blanket Ally had put over him.

"You don't have to do that." Allison said to Lincoln.

"I don't want to wear out my welcome." Lincoln said.

Ally laughed. "I don't think you have to worry about that." Allison responded.

Lincoln finished folding the blanket and laid it neatly on the couch. He turned around to Allison…"Say…Ally, can I ask you something?" Lincoln asked.

"Sure what is it?" She answered.

"Are you ok with this…..I mean us….I mean there really is no us but there could be an us, but I was just wondering if…." Lincoln tripped over his words trying to figure out a way to say what he was trying to say.

"I think I know what you're asking. Am I ready for this? You mean since Brian?" Allison asked him.

"I just don't want to push you." Lincoln said.

"You let me worry about me. I'll be ok. There are definitely some feelings I need to sort out, but I'll be fine. There is one thing though….I don't know how my girls will react to this. I need to talk to them about me dating." Allison said.

Lincoln walked over to Ally and gave her a hug….he stepped back and stared in her beautiful green eyes. "I think that's fair. I can deal with that." He said.

Lincoln kissed Allison on the forehead.

"If you'll be ok for a while…there are some things I need to take care of." Lincoln said.

"I'll be fine. I'm going to call my parents and have them bring my kids over. I need to see them and love on them for a while." Allison said.

Lincoln held Allison's hands and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'll call you later." He said.

After Lincoln left the house felt empty. Allison didn't like the quiet in her house. She was used to kids laughing and playing and even arguing. Allison couldn't stand it any longer and called her parents.

"Hi Dad! I'm home!" Allison said.

"I know, that's what you're Mom said. Are you feeling ok?" He asked.

"Great! I want to see the girls dad. Can you and Mom bring them over?" Allison asked.

"After breakfast we'll bring the girls over." He said.

"What about Taylor….is she in school?" Allison asked.

"Yes. I'll bring her over when I pick her up from school today." Her dad replied.

"Thanks Daddy. I can't wait to see everybody." Allison said.

"Ok Sweetie, we'll see you in a little bit. I love you." He said.

"Love you to Dad." Allison said and she hung up the phone.

Ally, paced anxiously in the living room waiting for the kids. Finally she heard the door open…..

"MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!!!!" Lindsey and Kellie screamed.

It was music to her ears.

Allison sat on the couch and snuggled and hugged and kissed her daughters. Asking them how they've been and if they'd been good.

"Mommy, are you home forever?" Lindsey asked.

"Yep…Mommy's home honey." Allison answered.

"But remember what Grandma told you girls….we're going to give Mommy one week to get herself back on her feet completely." Allison's Mom said.

"Mom….I want the girls here with me. Really, I'm fine." Allison said.

"Wearing yourself out too soon could put you right back where you were. Do you want that?" Allison's mom said sternly.

"Mother, I'm not a little girl anymore and you can't tell me what to do. I WANT my children here with me." Allison said.

"Ally, you don't understand me. We almost lost you. You need to give yourself time to heal. If you don't…….well what will these girls do without BOTH of their parents.?" Allison's mother responded.

Allison sat back on the couch and put her hands on top of her head. "DAMN…you are THE most INFURIATING person I know…….GOD…I hate it when you're right…….FINE….I don't like it but I'll do it." Allison said.

"Ally, it's for the best. I just want you to be ready." Her mother said.

"I know mom……..Can I have some time alone with the girls? Maybe two hours?" Allison asked.

"Sure honey. I have some shopping to do. I'll stop back by on my way home and pick them up." Allison's mother said.

Allison got up from the couch and gave her mother a hug. "Thanks Mom…..and I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know you're right." Allison said.

"Ok sweetie….have fun with the girls. I'll be back." Her mother said. And she left for the store. here…..come talk to Mommy. Tell me everything that's been going on." Allison told the girls.

The girls sat with Allison and told her everything. They told her how Grandpa could find money in their ears and how their muscles were bigger just by eating broccoli. Allison laughed and giggled with the girls. Enjoying every precious moment she could with her children.

"Hey….girls….I want to talk to you for a second." Allison said.

"What Mommy?" Asked Lindsey.

"I want to talk about Daddy a little bit honey." Allison said.

Lindsey's eyes got big. She clapped her hands and squealed, "Is Daddy coming back home from Heaven?" She asked.

Allison sat in between Lindsey and Kellie on the couch and put her arms around both of them. "No…no baby….He's not coming home." She said.

Lindsey looked down at her lap. "Then what is it Mommy?" She asked.

Allison took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she started to speak. "Well……Mommy loved Daddy very very much. And I still love him. I will never stop loving your Daddy ever……..but…..there comes a time when big people need to spend time with other big people and have friends." Allison said.

"Like Auntie Rachel?" Kellie asked.

"Well…..yes….Auntie Rachel……and my friend Lincoln…..do you remember Lincoln? You met him at the hospital?" Ally asked.

"I membur him." Kellie said.

"Yea…me too." Lindsey said.

"Well…..Mommy would like to start having Lincoln spend more time with us." Allison said.

"Is he going to be your boyfriend Mommy?" Lindsey asked.

Allison smiled. "You're killin' me kid." She said under her breath.

"Well baby…..yea…..he's a boy and he's my friend. So you could call him a boyfriend I think." She said.

"Are you going to get married to him?" Lindsey asked.

"Nooo, honey. We're just going to go on dates and things. And he's going to be spending more time with us is all." Allison told her.

"Ok Mommy." Lindsey said.

Kellie not really understanding what was just said…mimicked her big sisters response. "Ok Mommy." She said.

Allison hugged the girls tightly. "I love you."

"Now I just have to deal with Taylor." She thought to herself.

Ally's mom finished her shopping and came back to pick up the girls.

"Hey mom. Can I talk to you for a second?" Allison asked.

Allison's mother grew concerned. "Sure hon. Is everything ok?" She asked.

"Yes…everything is fine. Let's sit down at the table." She said.

Before Allison sat down with her mother, she made them both a cup of hot tea and brought it to the table. Allison sat down.

"Mom…..I…..do you think? What I'm trying to say is…." Allison couldn't put a complete sentence together.

Elaine placed her hand on top of Ally's. "It's Mom honey….just tell me." She said in her caring mom voice that made Ally feel at ease.

"Mom….do you think it's to soon for me to date again?" She asked.

"Allison, listen to your heart. What does it say?" Ally's mom asked.

"I don't know...Mom……it's Lincoln." Ally stopped and waited for her mother's reaction.

"I know dear." Allison's mom said.

"How do you know?" Allison asked.

Allison's mother smiled sweetly and took a drink of her tea. She put her cup down on the saucer. "Because I'm your mother and mother's just know things……you'll be able to just "know" things with your girls someday. My mother did with me….it's a gift that God gives us….it comes in handy." Her mother said.

"Well what do you think of him?" She asked.

"What do you think of him?" Allison' mother asked.

"Mom, I get this feeling when I'm around him…..I'm comfortable, I'm not head over heals in love or anything…but I'm curious to see where this could lead." Ally told her mother.

"Then what's stopping you Allison?…..You've heard Garth Brooks' song "The Dance" haven't you?….."I could have missed the pain…..but I'd have missed the dance." ……Don't miss the dance Allison." Her mother said.

Elaine stood up. "I better get the girls home….Dad should be coming over shortly with Taylor. Have you talked to her yet?" She asked.

"No….I talked to Lindsey and Kellie and they don't really "get it". They're too young…..Taylor is the one I'm worried about. I don't want her to think that I'm trying to replace her Dad." Allison said.

"Good luck with that honey. She just like you…..stubborn as hell." Elaine said.

Allison stood up and hugged her mom. "Thanks for the vote of confidence there Mother." She said.

"I wouldn't want to be in your shoes having to tell her…" Elaine laughed.

Elaine took Kellie and Lindsey home.

Ally was pretty tired after the girls left with her mother. She sat down in her recliner with a blanket and dozed off.


	11. Chapter 11 Brian's Talk

**Disclaimer: **Fox owns it.

**A/N:** Well guys, were on the 11th chapter here and only one review. Please review, it helps me improve and keeps me motivated. Thank you.

* * *

"Mom…..mom….wake up" Taylor said, shaking Allison lightly.

Allison opened her eyes and saw Taylor standing next to her chair. "Hi baby."

"Mom….you're drooling." Taylor said with a look of disgust.

"Attractive huh?" Allison laughed as she wiped her chin.

"Not so much." Taylor replied.

"Geez kid, you've grown two inches in two weeks…I swear it!" Allison told Taylor.

Taylor lifted her pant leg and said, "No, I haven't grown any….Grandma bought me some heels….see." she said as she showed off her new shoes.

"Very nice….not too high….I like….I like." Allison said.

"I'm going to leave you two girls alone for a bit. I'll be back later." Allison's Dad said.

"Ok Dad…..Love you!!" Allison yelled as he walked out the door.

"So….Tell me, what's been going on with you? How about Cody? Anything new there?" Allison asked.

"No….he likes someone else now, but I don't care really." Taylor answered.

"Taylor, sit down a minute…..I want to talk to you about something…..something that's really difficult. And I'm scared…..I'm scared of how you're going to react." Allison said.

Taylor sat down in front of the recliner and folded her legs. "Mom….you're already setting this up to be a negative conversation." Taylor said.

"You're right honey…ok…..well………here goes……..damn…ok…..hmmmm." Allison stammered.

"Mom…..just tell me, you're scaring me. Are you ok?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, honey…no….I'm fine. I'm sorry baby. That's not it at all. Oh…crap, let me just say this……..Ok…. I think…… I think I might be ready to start seeing……well you know….dating." Allison said.

"What?…..Mom…..you can't be serious……dating who?" Taylor asked.

Allison stood and paced. "Well, you remember Lincoln Burrows don't you?" Allison asked.

"No way…..no freaking way!" Taylor said.

"Watch your mouth!" Allison scolded.

"Mom…..Lincoln Burrows……the guy that was in prison?" Taylor asked.

"Yes….that Lincoln." Allison replied.

Taylor looked down. She picked at the carpet not saying anything. Allison sat back down in the recliner in front of Taylor waited for a reaction.

"Taylor? What's going on in that head of yours? Are you ok with this?" Allison asked.

"What if I wasn't Mom? What if I said I hated it? What if I refused to ever talk to him or you? Would that stop you? Would it?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know Taylor, I didn't think that far in advance I guess. Is that how you feel? Allison asked.

"The truth is, no, I don't like it. I don't like the thought of you with _anyone_ except Dad….and I don't like the thought of anyone trying to be a Dad to me and my sisters except for Dad, but….." Taylor said.

Allison tucked Taylor's hair behind her ear. "But what sweetie?" She asked.

Taylor looked up at Ally. "But Dad told me not to be mad." She said as the tears formed in her eyes.

Allison sat down on the floor next to Taylor. "Tay….what do you mean Dad said not to be mad?" Allison asked.

Taylor took in a deep breath and let it out. "When Dad knew he was dying, probably about two weeks before he died….he had a talk with each one of us girls, alone. He talked to us for a long time. He said that he wanted to make sure that he told us everything he ever wanted to say…..before he couldn't." Taylor stopped and drew in another breath.

Ally sat silently, listening intently as her tears fell from her eyes.

"One of the things he said was that sooner or later you would start dating and that I wouldn't like it. And he was right…..I _hate_ it……but he told me that he didn't want you to sit around and be alone and sad all the time……he said that you had to much love to give and that you weren't a happy person unless you were loving people….and that eventually someday you would find someone else to love." Taylor stopped for a moment to collect herself so she could continue.

"He said that I just needed to be trust your judgment because you only picked the best…..after all you picked him. He told me not to be mad at you and to give people a chance. He made me promise him…..and I told him I would." Taylor couldn't continue. She sobbed in Allison's arms.

When she couldn't cry anymore she sat up and looked at her mom. "Mom….I don't like it. But I don't want you to be lonely either. Please, _please_ promise me that no one will try and take over and act like a Dad….please mom… promise me." Taylor begged.

Allison had no idea that Brian had done all this before his death. She was amazed, touched, sad and so many more emotions she couldn't quite put a name to.

"Mom….are you listening to me….promise me." Taylor insisted.

"I promise you that _nobody_, will try and be your Father…..nobody ever can…..it's just not possible."


	12. Chapter 12 Italian Food & Cold Water

**Disclaimer**: Fox wants me to buy them but I'm playing hard to get

**Warning**: Things are heating up a bit.

**A/N:** Sammie you rock hon. However, if anyone else is out there lurking I would seriously appreciate some reviews. With over 600 hits now, I'm pretty sure that Sammie is not the only one that's keeping up with the story.

* * *

The house was quiet again after Ally's father picked up Taylor. Allison got up from the couch and went to the kitchen. She was getting hungry. She found some Frosted Flakes and poured them in a bowl. She opened the refrigerator and got out the milk. When she opened the milk the sour smell permeated the air. "Shit, what in hell was I thinking?" She said out loud. She poured the milk down the drain.

Allison's phone rang. "Hello?"

"How are the girls?" Lincoln asked.

"Amazing….I didn't want to let 'em go." Ally answered.

"Did you talk to them? I mean I know you talked to them, but did you talk to them about us?" Lincoln asked.

"Yea, Lindsey and Kellie were ok, but Taylor…..I don't know she's going to be a challenge. She's trying to be ok with it, but she's having a hard time."

"She'll come around. It'll just take some time Al." Lincoln said.

"I hope so." Ally answered.

"You like Italian food?" Lincoln asked.

"Love it….why?" Allison answered.

"I was thinking of stopping at Gino's restaurant and picking up some dinner." Lincoln said.

"Sounds great….that's perfect actually." She said staring at the empty milk carton.

"Really?" Lincoln asked.

"Yea…really…..I just had a close encounter with spoiled milk, and I've determined that most everything in my refrigerator needs to be tossed." She said.

"Ok, I have a couple more things to do then I'll be over." Lincoln said.

"See you then." Allison said and hung up the phone.

After an hour and a half went by, Ally was just going to call Lincoln to see where he was when he knocked on her door. She went to the door and opened it.

"Hey….sorry it took so long, but I thought I'd stop at the grocery store and pick a few things up since you said you had to clean out your refrigerator." Lincoln said.

"Oh my God…look at all of this!" Allison exclaimed as she realized just how much Lincoln had bought.

"I hope you're not upset. I wasn't sure what you liked….so I took the liberty of buying…..everything." He said.

Allison laughed. "I guess so. Here let me help you." She said.

Lincoln walked past Allison and set the bags he was holding down on the counter. "Nope….you sit down, I'll bring these in and you just tell me where things go."

Lincoln brought in groceries and put them in the kitchen. Allison started to help him put a few things away. She grabbed onto the counter.

"Shit" She said.

Lincoln quickly moved toward her and caught her before she fell. "Easy there. Are you ok?" He asked.

Allison put her arms around Lincoln's neck and rested her head on his chest. "I'm better now." She said.

Lincoln laughed. "You just sit down and tell me where things go and I'll take care of it." Lincoln said.

Allison directed Lincoln around the kitchen as he put away the rest of the groceries. Lincoln opened the boxes from the restaurant and set them on the kitchen table. "Hope you're hungry." He said.

"Starved!" Allison replied. Allison and Lincoln sat at the table.

"I really don't know a whole lot about you except what little I've heard through the grapevine." Allison said.

"What do you want to know?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't know….you said you have a brother right?" Allison asked.

"Yea….my kid brother Michael." Lincoln answered.

"Are you close?" Allison asked.

Lincoln laughed,"I guess you could say that. He did spend three years planning our escape from prison and had the blue prints to the prison tattooed on his upper body, held up a bank to get arrested and he had two of his toes meet an unfortunate demise……I guess you could say we'd do anything for each other." He said.

"Yea, I think that qualifies as being close." Ally said.

"He was the good one and I was the wild child, but we were always there for each other as kids. Our father took off before Michael was born and our mother died when we were young….so we just had each other." Lincoln said.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Allison said as she twirled her spaghetti.

Ally hesitated before she continued. She wasn't sure which subjects Lincoln might be sensitive to. "Were you scared…..when you were in prison?" Allison asked hesitantly.

Lincoln put his fork down and sat back in his chair. "Scared? I actually sat in the electric chair, strapped in with a sponge on my head. Less then a minute before they flipped the switch, the judge called the Warden and said he had new evidence. To answer your question, yea, I was scared. " Lincoln said.

Allison looked at Lincoln and saw tears forming in his eyes. She got up and put her hands on his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. "Lincoln….you're shaking…. I'm sorry…..I didn't mean to…." Lincoln stopped her before she could finish.

"I'm ok."

Ally sat back down in her chair.

"The new evidence gave us two more weeks…..Michael sped up the escape plans and …….we did it. It didn't end there though. We stayed on the run. It seemed like forever." Lincoln said.

Ally reached over and held Lincoln's hand. "Linc, you don't have to do this right now." She said.

"Yea I do. It's important." Lincoln said.

Lincoln pushed his food back. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his hands over face. He drew in a deep breath and let it out.

"I lost count of the number of people that died over this thing. My father, friends, enemies….and Veronica….the woman I loved."

"Tell me about her….if you don't mind." Allison said.

"I don't mind…..it actually helps…….Veronica and me; we grew up together and dated all through school. We broke up after she couldn't take my wild ways any more…….She became a lawyer…….When I got into this mess….she believed me, it took some convincing, but she believed I didn't kill the President's brother. She was determined to prove my innocence….She actually found Terrance Steadman…alive and well. She called me while she was with Mr. Steadman….. while I was on the phone with her….she was murdered." Lincoln looked at Allison. "You're the first woman I've let myself think about getting close to since her."

Ally got up from her chair and sat on Lincoln's lap. She laid her head on his shoulder and held him. Lincoln looked into Allison's eyes and smiled. "You have no idea how much money I could have saved in therapy if you had been around back then." He said.

"You bought dinner and groceries, the least I could do is offer my services as a therapist." She said smiling.

Lincoln brought his hand to Allison's face. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and softly kissed her lips. Allison's body grew warm with his touch. She was sure Lincoln could feel the heat radiating from her.

"Why don't we sit down in the living room?" Allison said as she stood up.

Lincoln cleared his throat. "Yea, that would probably be a good idea." He said.

Lincoln was relieved that they got up when they did. Any longer with her sitting on his lap and his jeans would have fit a little more snug then would be comfortable.

He sat on the couch next to Ally. "What about you? Tell me about yourself." He said.

"Not much to tell really…..only child…raised Catholic…...middle class family….did well in school. I met my husband Brian in high school. We married when we were 19 and I got pregnant with Taylor. Brian worked in construction and he made pretty good money. I took a few small jobs here and there and we saved our money. I wanted to be a nurse so we were saving for nursing school." Allison stopped for a moment. "Hey, do you want some coffee?" she asked Lincoln.

"Yea…sounds good." He answered.

"You take anything in it?" She asked.

"No." He answered.

Allison picked up their dinner from the table and brought it to the kitchen. She made their coffee and sat back down.

"Anyway….I started school, only a few classes at a time though. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Taylor. Brian got hurt on a job, and couldn't work for quite some time, so I quit school to take care of him. After he went back to work, I was so attached to Taylor I didn't go back to school. Then I got pregnant with Lindsey and then Kellie. I was really fortunate to be able to stay at home with all of them. After a while, I was ready to go back to school. I had just started classes again when Brian found out he had skin cancer….and then he was gone…..in less then two months. We didn't plan for either one of us to die….we figured we had some time to think about that, so when it happened…..it was crazy. Thank God for my parents, they help out so much and Brian's parents send clothes and money for the girls. They live in Texas, so we don't see them often." Allison said.

"Do you have any pictures of Brian?" Lincoln asked.

Allison looked surprised. "Well umm, yea….hang on second, I'll get a couple of them." She said.

Allison got up and went to the bedroom. She took the picture of Brian off of her nightstand and also found a picture of them on their wedding day. She brought them back out and handed them to Lincoln.

"Good lookin' guy….and you've hardly changed since them." Lincoln said as he handed the pictures back to Allison.

Allison laughed…."Amazing what coloring your hair can do for you isn't it?" She said.

"Did you ever date anyone else besides Brian…in high school?" Lincoln asked.

"No, it was always Bri." She said.

"Ally, I don't know how you do it. Working full time and raising three kids by yourself, its incredible." Lincoln said.

Lincoln turned to Ally on the couch. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. Ally playfully bit at his bottom lip and then returned his kiss. As the intensity of their kiss grew, Lincoln could feel Allison's body shake. He reached over and pulled her onto his lap.

"You ok?" He whispered.

Allison nodded her head "yes" and rested her hand on his chest and closed her eyes. The beat of his heart was rhythmic, soothing. She opened her eyes and brought her hand to his face. She lightly traced his lips with her fingers. It was Lincoln's turn to shake.

Lincoln slid his hand to the back of her neck, and pulled her forward. He kissed her with more intensity then the last. He delicately slid his tongue into her mouth sending chills down Ally's spine. She explored his mouth were her tongue. Unconsciously her hand roamed across his chest and down his stomach. Their kiss grew more passionate with each passing moment and Lincoln pulled her closer. His arousal was now more then apparent against the back of her thigh.

Lincoln broke the kiss. He leaned his head back and struggled to catch his breath. "Ally, we need to stop." Lincoln said.

Allison smiled and found his neck to be quite interesting. "I know." She said in a whispered voice. She leaned forward and softly kissed his collarbone. Allison changed her position so that she was straddling him. He was hard between her legs causing her to become increasingly wet and her body screamed silently for more.

"Allison." Lincoln said.

She placed a trail of delicate kisses up his neck to the bottom of his ear. "Yea Linc." She whispered in his ear.

In one sweeping motion, Lincoln was lying on top of her, eagerly kissing her neck, sucking in her skin, leaving small red marks. He kissed her passionately, delving into her mouth with his tongue. He pressed his hips against hers. She let out a small moan to which Lincoln responded with more demanding kisses. He moved his hand slowly from her face down the middle of her neck to her chest between her breasts. He reached underneath her shirt and slid his hand under her bra. Allison grabbed on to Lincoln's ass and pulled him into her. He squeezed her hardened nipple and breast as he continued to move his hips rhythmically against her groin.

"Ally" Lincoln whispered. "This is definitely getting to the point where there will be no turning back, you need to make a decision here…..quickly." He said.

Allison opened her eyes and reached up to his face with both of her hands resting them on his cheeks.

"I know….I know, this is too soon." Allison whispered back. "But God damn it if I know how to stop." She said.

Lincoln stood up. "Whew…….ok…..hang on a second." He said as he went into the kitchen.

Allison could hear water running. When he came out of the kitchen he was drying his face with a paper towel.

"Cold water" He said.

Allison laughed. "Did it help?" She asked.

Lincoln sat down on the opposite end of the couch from where Ally was sitting. He looked at her and then pointed to his crotch. "What do you think?" He answered. Allison blushed and quickly looked away when she saw the bulge in his pants.

The two sat in silence for a while. Lincoln finally spoke up. "You should get some sleep. I'll grab a pillow and a blanket and sleep here." He said.

"I'm ok, go home and sleep in a real bed. This old thing can't be comfortable to sleep on." Allison said referring to her couch.

Lincoln stood and put his hands on his hips then let out a deep breath…"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" He asked.

Allison stood up in front of Lincoln and wrapped her arms around his waist. She looked up at him. "I'm fine...seriously... I'm ok." She said.

Lincoln put his arms around Ally and hugged her tightly. He kissed her and then turned to leave. When she heard the door shut behind him, Allison fell back on the couch and giggled like a schoolgirl. She kicked her legs wildly as her thoughts raced at the same speed of her heart. She got up from the couch and danced through the house to her bedroom.

Lincoln laughed and shook his head as he turned from the window where he was watching her.


	13. Chapter 13 Pizza & Beer

Disclaimers: Usual stuff...I'm still poor and Fox still owns Lincoln.

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Allison's health was improving gradually as each day passed. She missed having her kids around, however her parents insisted she spend at least another week taking it easy. Ally couldn't wait to have her house invaded by the little people that ruled her life.

She called Ed to make arrangements to return to work. He agreed as long as she worked no more then three days a week and only a few hours a day until he was convinced she was fully recovered.

"Ed! Please, I can't live on three days a week and besides, I feel fine." Allison insisted.

"No. Absolutely not. I won't have you getting sick again on my account."

Allison let out a heavy sigh. "I guess there's no use arguing with you, but I wish you would reconsider. I really need the money."

"I'll let you take a draw. You can pay it back a little at a time. I'm serious about this Allison. You're lucky I'm agreeing to let you come back at all. It's part time or nothing at all."

"Ok, ok. Part time then. I guess I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

"I'll see you then….oh wait. Have you spoken with Rachel?" Ed asked.

"Not since I got out of the hospital…why? Is she ok?"

"You need to call her. She was cast in a movie. Big part. I don't have all the details, but it sounds like the break she's been waiting for."

"I can't believe she didn't call me." Allison said.

"Everything happened really fast. Give her a call, she can tell you more." He suggested.

"Yea, I will. As soon as we hang up."

"Ok sweetie, get some rest. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

Ally immediately called Rachel's cell phone. She didn't answer, so Ally left a message for her to call right away. Not only was she excited for Rachel and wanted to hear about the movie, she couldn't wait to tell Rachel about her and Lincoln.

"Speaking of Lincoln." Ally thought to herself.

"Hi….I hadn't heard from you yet today, so I thought I'd give you a call." Allison said.

"I know, I'm sorry. I got busy this morning and then I had breakfast with my brother and his girlfriend. What's up? Are you feeling ok?" He asked.

"I feel great! In fact, I thought maybe I could take you out to dinner tonight. I still owe you don't I?" Allison asked.

Lincoln laughed. "As a matter of fact, yes you do."

"Meet me here around 8:00?" she asked.

"Sounds good. I'll see you then." Lincoln said and he hung up.

Ally made an appointment to get her hair done that afternoon and ran some errands. Her cell phone rang while she was getting her hair done. She looked at her caller ID and saw that it was Rachel. "Excuse me a moment, I need to take this." Allison told her hairdresser.

"Hello?"

"Al….it's Rach. I got your message. Is everything ok?" She asked.

"Yea….everything's fine…..but I'm a little pissed at you. I talked to Ed and he told me about you're part in a movie or something." Ally asked.

"I know, I know, it all happened so fast. All of a sudden I was flying to New York. This is just all so amazing, I still can't believe it." Rachel said.

"Who's in the film? What's it about? What's your part?" Allison bombarded Rachel with a million questions. She was so excited for her.

"Well, the film is called "Break Away" and I play a girl by the name of Jessica that has an affair with a married man named Steven…..and Steven is played by none other then Brad Pitt!" Rachel squealed.

"Holy Shit Rach!" Allison screamed. She looked around realizing that she was being a little loud.

Allison's hairdresser cleared her throat. "Excuse me Ally. Unless you want your hair purple, I need to get you rinsed." She said.

"Rach….I gotta go, but call me later." Allison said.

"Ok Al. Oh…..hey……wait……what's this I hear about you and Lincoln Burrows?" Rachel asked.

"Who told you that?" Allison asked Rachel.

"Who else? You know Ed can't keep a secret." Rachel laughed.

"Ally….really……your hair." The hairdresser said again.

"I really gotta go, but I'll tell you more about that later. I'll talk to you soon." Allison said and hung up the phone.

……………………………………..

Lincoln arrived just before 8:00.

"These are for you." He said handing Allison flowers.

Ally gave Lincoln a kiss. "You didn't have to do that……..but I'll take em'." She found a vase for the flowers and set them on the table.

Lincoln watched Allison arrange the flowers. She turned around and noticed he was staring at her.

"What?…What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing, it's just that, you look so…..amazing." He said.

Allison smiled. "Thanks."

Lincoln stepped forward and put his hands on her waist. He kissed her softly then tucked her hair behind her ear. "It looks great…you look great. I'm glad to see you're wearing jeans, I wasn't quite sure what to wear." Lincoln said.

Allison grew warm with his touch. Her stomach filled with twinges of excitement as he kissed her softly and lightly ran his fingers across cheek.

"I don't do dress up that often. I like to be comfortable most of the time." She said softly.

"So where you takin' me anyway?" Lincoln asked.

Allison turned around and picked up her purse and keys from the table. "Pizza and beer. Then I thought we could go my the theatre and see what's playing."

"Excellent!" He said.

…."I can't eat another bite." Allison said as she dropped a half eaten slice of pizza onto her plate.

"I'm getting there myself." Lincoln said.

"Oh! I didn't tell you. I talked to Rachel today and she's in New York." Allison said.

"New York?" Lincoln asked.

"Yea, get this. She got a part in a movie she auditioned for. It's called "Break Away."

"Wow….that's huge!" Lincoln said.

"Yea it is. But that's not all. She stars opposite Brad Pitt!"

"Good for her!….You're not gonna' run off to New York and go chasing Brad Pitt are you?" Lincoln joked.

"Well…I thought about it, but I really don't want tangle with Angelina."

Lincoln laughed. "I would."

Allison playfully slapped Lincoln's arm. "Lincoln!" She said.

"Ouch! I'm kidding."

"You ready to go?" Ally asked.

"Yep. Let's go see what's playing." Lincoln said.

They drove by the theatre and looked at the marquee. "What do you think?" Ally asked.

"It's up to you." Lincoln answered.

Allison stared at the choices in movies. "Nothing looks even somewhat interesting." She said.

"Why don't we just rent a couple of DVD's, grab some beer and go to my house?" Lincoln suggested.

"Are you sure?" Allison asked.

Lincoln leaned over and kissed Allison. "Yea I'm sure. As long as I get to spend some time with you, I'm fine."


End file.
